Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometer (OFDR) systems are capable of making fiber optic (FO) based measurements of various physical parameters in a highly distributed manner. As an example of an OFDR's capability, a single strain sensing fiber 15 meters in length can provide strain measurements at 1 cm intervals throughout the entire fiber. An OFDR and the connected sensing fiber can be configured to measure distributed strain, temperature, and chemical presence, as examples, in several fibers simultaneously. OFDR systems are interferometric in nature, and thus depend on various components of light to interfere sufficiently enough to produce required signal-to-noise ratios for accurate measurements. Because the laser at the heart of an OFDR system is 100% polarized, measurements can be greatly affected (reduced accuracy) by birefringent effects in the FO cables outside of the system; in particular, the birefringent effects in the sensing fiber and the cable connecting the sensing fiber to the OFDR can alter the polarization states of the light components in such a way that productive interference does not occur.